Mine roof and rib support

ABSTRACT

A mine roof and rib support includes a support member comprising a roof support arm and a rib support arm, the roof support arm provided at an angle to the rib support arm, wherein the roof support arm defines an aperture for receiving a mine roof bolt; a bearing plate defining a through-hole, the bearing plate being positioned on the surface of the roof support arm, wherein the bearing plate through-hole is operatively aligned with the roof support arm aperture; and a mine roof bolt extending angularly through the through-hole of the bearing plate and the roof support arm aperture, the mine roof bolt being configured to compress the bearing plate against the support member. The bearing plate is positioned on the surface of the roof support arm away from the angled junction of the roof support arm and the rib support arm.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/869,288, filed on Aug. 23, 2013, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Disclosure

This disclosure relates to a mine roof and rib support, moreparticularly to a mine roof and rib support having a roof support arm, arib support arm, a bearing plate and a mine roof bolt.

2. Discussion of the Background Art

Mine roof and rib (sidewall) control is important for the safety andwell being of miners. Surface control is critical to effective mine roofand rib support systems. Surface control devices with adequatecharacteristics can help reduce or even eliminate progressive roof andrib failures.

Mine roof and rib supports are commonly used in underground mining,excavating, and tunneling operations to support and control the overheadand lateral rock strata. In one conventional mine surface controlsystem, a series of bore holes can be drilled into the mine roof or rib,a mine roof bolt can be installed in the bore hole, a channel, bearingplate, or mat can be positioned between the end of the mine roof boltand the mine roof or rib, and the mine roof bolt can be anchored in thebore hole and tensioned such that the mine roof bolt and channel,bearing plate, or mat exert a compressive force upon the mine roof andrib to prevent deterioration of the overhead and lateral rock strata.

Channel plates, bearing plates, roof channels, and mats which help tofurther stabilize mine roof or rib strata, may shift over time and canbe a visual indicator that the mine roof bolts have been installedcorrectly. However, due to the seriousness of the safety issues involvedwith correctly supporting mine roof and rib strata and the increasingrisk of injury caused by mine roof falls, even safer mine roof and ribsupport systems are desired.

The present disclosure provides many advantages, which shall becomeapparent as described below.

SUMMARY

This disclosure relates in part to a mine roof and rib support. The mineroof and rib support includes a support member comprising a roof supportarm and a rib support arm, the roof support arm provided at an angle tothe rib support arm, wherein the roof support arm defines an aperturefor receiving a mine roof bolt; a bearing plate defining a through-hole,the bearing plate being positioned on the surface of the roof supportarm, wherein the bearing plate through-hole is operatively aligned withthe roof support arm aperture; and a mine roof bolt extending angularlythrough the through-hole of the bearing plate and the roof support armaperture, the mine roof bolt being configured to compress the bearingplate against the support member. The bearing plate is positioned on thesurface of the roof support arm away from the angled junction of theroof support arm and the rib support arm.

In an embodiment, the support member comprises a base portion, anelongated reinforcement portion extending from the base portion, andlongitudinal edge portions extending angularly away from the baseportion and terminating in edges.

In another embodiment, the bearing plate has an elongated rear portionhaving an angular orientation, wherein the angular orientation ispositioned to align with the support member.

This disclosure also relates in part to a method of supporting an archedrock formation. The method involves: positioning a support memberagainst an arched rock formation, the support member comprising a roofsupport arm and rib support arm, the roof support arm provided at anangle to the rib support arm, the roof support arm defining an aperturetherethrough, wherein the roof support arm is positioned against a mineroof surface and the rib support arm is positioned against a mine ribsurface; positioning a bearing plate, defining a through-hole, on thesurface of the roof support arm, wherein the bearing plate through-holeis operatively aligned with the roof support arm aperture; extending amine roof bolt angularly through the bearing plate through-hole and thesupport member aperture into engagement with the arched rock formation;and compressing the bearing plate against the support member to maintainthe support member in contact with the arched rock formation. Thebearing plate is positioned on the surface of the roof support arm awayfrom the angled junction of the roof support arm and the rib supportarm.

This disclosure further relates in part to a mine roof and rib supportthat includes: a support member comprising a roof support arm, a ribsupport arm, the roof support arm provided at an angle to the ribsupport arm, wherein the roof support arm defines an aperture forangularly receiving a mine roof bolt. The support member comprises abase portion, an elongated reinforcement portion extending from the baseportion, and longitudinal edge portions extending angularly away fromthe base portion and terminating in edges.

An advantage of this disclosure is the ability of the mine roof and ribsupport to provide compression for holding in place the roofmaterial/corner and thereby prevent “guttering” due to “cutters” in thegeology. Cutters along the mine rib are the first aspects of failure dueto that area being in tensile failure. The tensile failure is due tocompression of the center of the mine entry beam caused by its sagging.The cutters then work up the mine rib and eventually over the mine roofmass and contribute to cantilever roof failure or complete mine entryroof failure at the top of, or above the mine roof bolted zone. Inaccordance with this disclosure, the bearing plate is positioned on thesurface of the roof support arm away from the angled junction of theroof support arm and the rib support arm, and the mine roof bolt extendsangularly through the through-hole of the bearing plate and the roofsupport arm aperture. Because of this unique arrangement, the materialfrom the mine bolt borehole to the corner is placed in compression bythe clamping force of the mine bolt tightening. This uniquely positionedcompression delays and/or strengthens this mine area from cutters or thefirst signs of tensile failure.

In addition, another advantage of this disclosure is the ability of themine roof and rib support to prevent rib sloughage. The mine roof andrib support of this disclosure provides a clamping force to thinlylaminated mine roof strata close to and over the entry mine corner toincrease the shear strength along bedding planes, and to reduce verticaldeformation and thus the tensile stress within the lower mine roofstrata.

Further objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure willbe understood by reference to the following drawings and detaileddescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mine roof and rib support device inaccordance with an embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mine roof and rib support device inaccordance with an embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a support member of the mine roof andrib support device in accordance with an embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a support member of the mine roof andrib support device in accordance with an embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bearing plate of the mine roof and ribsupport device in accordance with an embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a bearing plate of the mine roof and ribsupport device in accordance with an embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a bearing plate of the mine roof and ribsupport device in accordance with an embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a mine roof and rib support device inaccordance with an embodiment of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

A perspective view of an embodiment of a mine roof and rib supportdevice is shown in FIG. 1. Mine roof and rib support device 100 includesa support member having a roof support arm 110 and a rib support arm112, wherein the roof support arm 110 is provided at an angle to the ribsupport arm 112. The angle between the roof and rib support arms 110,112 can generally be about 90 degrees. However, the angle can vary asneeded, or desired, depending upon the angle between the mine roof 202and the mine rib 204. An aperture is defined in support member forreceiving a mine roof bolt, the aperture located away (e.g., preferablyabout 1 foot or so) from a junction between, or an intersection of, theroof support arm 110 and the rib support arm 112.

The angle between the mine roof 102 and rib 104 may not be exactly 90degrees, and the mine roof 102 and/or rib 104 may likely not beperfectly flat. Thus, embodiments of the support member of thisdisclosure can be sufficiently flexible to compensate for variations inthe angle of the roof 102 and rib 104, and/or variations due tonon-planar surfaces of the roof 102 and/or rib 104.

Support member includes a base portion having a front surface and a backsurface. Integrally formed longitudinal flanges 106, 108 extend from thebase portion, such as at an angle, and terminate at respective edges.Support member further includes a reinforcement portion extending fromthe base portion. Reinforcement portion is illustrated as beingpositioned centrally on the support member with aperture defined thereinand having a general U-shape, thereby forming a rib. The height ofreinforcement portion may be approximately equal to the height oflongitudinal flanges 106, 108.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the longitudinal flanges 106, 108 andthe reinforcement portion project toward and abut the mine roof 102 orrib 104. There are three (3) contact points between the support memberand the mine roof 102 or rib 104 in this embodiment.

The mine roof and rib support device 100 may further include a bearingplate 120 having a through-hole through which the roof bolt isinstalled. The bearing plate 120 can be positioned on top of the supportmember. In this embodiment, the bearing plate 120 abuts the back surfaceof the roof support arm 110. When the through-hole in the bearing plate120 is operatively aligned with the aperture in the support member forinstallation of the roof bolt therethrough, the bearing plate 120 willapply force to the roof and rib support arms 110, 112, respectively,when force is applied to the bearing plate 120 during installation ofthe roof bolt. The roof bolt is installed at a 45 degree angle and maybe installed at different angles. When the mine roof bolt is tightenedagainst the outer surface of the bearing plate 120, a compressive loadis applied to the bearing plate 120.

The compressive load is distributed throughout the bearing plate 120.The compressive load is transmitted from the bearing plate 120 to theroof support arm 110 and the rib support arm 112, respectively, tocompress the support arms 110, 112 against the roof 102 and rib 104 ofthe mine tunnel. The compressive forces cause the roof support arm 110to exert pressure against the mine roof 102, and the rib support arm 112to exert pressure against the mine rib 104.

The support member may include flanges 114, 116 provided on one or bothof the ends of the respective roof support arm 110 and the rib supportarm 112, wherein the flanges 114, 116 project toward the mine roof 102or rib 104. A wire of mesh 118 may be positioned behind support arm 110and over flange 114 in order to hold mesh 118 against the roof 102.Similarly, a wire of mesh 118 may be positioned behind rib support arm112 and over flange 116 in order to hold mesh 118 against the rib 104.

In an alternate embodiment, a perspective view of a mine roof and ribsupport device is shown in FIG. 2. This embodiment is similar to FIG. 1except that the structure of the roof support arm and rib support armhave been inverted (i.e., the longitudinal flanges 206 and 208 projectaway from the mine roof 202 or rib 204). Mine roof and rib supportdevice 200 includes a support member having a roof support arm 210 and arib support arm 212, wherein the roof support arm 210 is provided at anangle to the rib support arm 212. The angle between the roof and ribsupport arms 210, 212 can generally be about 90 degrees. However, theangle can vary as needed, or desired, depending upon the angle betweenthe mine roof 202 and the mine rib 204. An aperture is defined insupport member for receiving a mine roof bolt, the aperture located away(e.g., preferably about 1 foot or so) from a junction between, or anintersection of, the roof support arm 210 and the rib support arm 212.

The angle between the mine roof 202 and rib 204 may not be exactly 90degrees, and the mine roof 202 and/or rib 204 may likely not beperfectly flat. Thus, embodiments of the support member of thisdisclosure can be sufficiently flexible to compensate for variations inthe angle of the roof 202 and rib 204, and/or variations due tonon-planar surfaces of the roof 202 and/or rib 204.

Support member includes a base portion having a front surface and a backsurface. Integrally formed longitudinal flanges 206, 208 extend from thebase portion, such as at an angle, and terminate at respective edges.Support member further includes a reinforcement portion extending fromthe base portion. Reinforcement portion is illustrated as beingpositioned centrally on the support member with aperture defined thereinand having a general U-shape, thereby forming a rib. The height ofreinforcement portion may be approximately equal to the height oflongitudinal flanges 206, 208.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the longitudinal flanges 206, 208 andthe reinforcement portion project away from the mine roof 102 or rib104. The back surface of the support member abuts against the mine roof102 or rib 104 in this embodiment. There are two (2) contact pointsbetween the support member and the mine roof 102 or rib 104 in thisembodiment.

The mine roof and rib support device 200 may further include a bearingplate 220 having a through-hole through which the roof bolt isinstalled. The bearing plate 220 can be positioned on top of the supportmember. In this embodiment, the bearing plate 220 abuts longitudinalflanges 210, 211 and reinforcement portion. When the through-hole in thebearing plate 220 is operatively aligned with the aperture in thesupport member for installation of the roof bolt therethrough, thebearing plate 220 will apply force to the roof and rib support arms 210,212, respectively, when force is applied to the bearing plate 220 duringinstallation of the roof bolt. The roof bolt is installed at a 45 degreeangle and may be installed at different angles. When the mine roof boltis tightened against the outer surface of the bearing plate 220, acompressive load is applied to the bearing plate 220. The compressiveload is distributed throughout the bearing plate 220. The compressiveload is transmitted from the bearing plate 220 to the roof support arm210 and the rib support arm 212, respectively, to compress the supportarms 210, 212 against the roof 202 and rib 204 of the mine tunnel. Thecompressive forces cause the roof support arm 210 to exert pressureagainst the mine roof 202, and the rib support arm 212 to exert pressureagainst the mine rib 204.

The support member may include flanges 214, 216 provided on one or bothof the ends of the respective roof support arm 210 and the rib supportarm 212, wherein the flanges 214, 216 project toward the mine roof 50 orrib 55. A wire of mesh 218 may be positioned behind support arm 210 andover flange 214 in order to hold mesh 218 against the roof 202.Similarly, a wire of mesh 218 may be positioned behind rib support arm212 and over flange 216 in order to hold mesh 218 against the rib 204.

Another embodiment of this disclosure is shown in FIG. 3. Mine roof andrib support device 300 includes a support member 302 having a roofsupport arm 320 and a rib support arm 322, wherein the roof support arm320 is provided at an angle 326 to the rib support arm 322. The angle326 between the roof and rib support arms 320, 322 can generally beabout 90 degrees. However, the angle 326 can vary as needed, or desiredas described herein with regard to the support member. An aperture isdefined in support member for receiving a mine roof bolt, the aperturelocated away (e.g., preferably about 1 foot or so) from the junctionbetween, or an intersection of, the roof support arm 320 and the ribsupport arm 322.

Support member includes a base portion 304 having a front surface 306and a back surface 308. Integrally formed longitudinal flanges 310, 314extend from base portion 304, such as at an angle, and terminate atrespective edges 312, 316. Support member further includes areinforcement portion 318 extending from the base portion 304.Reinforcement portion 318 is illustrated as being positioned centrallyon the support member 302 with aperture defined therein and having ageneral U-shape, thereby forming a rib. The height of reinforcementportion 318 may be approximately equal to the height of longitudinalflanges 310, 314.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the longitudinal flanges 310, 314 andthe reinforcement portion project toward and abut the mine roof or rib.There are three (3) contact points between the support member and themine roof or rib in this embodiment.

The mine roof and rib support device 300 may further include a bearingplate having a through-hole through which the roof bolt is installed.When the through-hole in the bearing plate is operatively aligned withthe aperture in the support member 302 for installation of the roof bolttherethrough, the bearing plate will apply force to the roof and ribsupport arms 320, 322, respectively, when force is applied to thebearing plate during installation of the roof bolt. The roof bolt isinstalled at a 45 degree angle and may be installed at different angles.When the mine roof bolt is tightened against the outer surface of thebearing plate, a compressive load is applied to the bearing plate. Thecompressive load is distributed throughout the bearing plate. Thecompressive load is transmitted from the bearing plate to the roofsupport arm 320 and the rib support arm 322, respectively, to compressthe support arms 320, 322 against the roof and of the mine tunnel. Thecompressive forces cause the roof support arm 320 to exert pressureagainst the mine roof and the rib support arm 322 to exert pressureagainst the mine rib.

The support member 302 may include flanges 324, 328 provided on one orboth of the ends of the respective roof support arm 320 and the ribsupport arm 322, wherein the flanges 324, 328 project toward the mineroof or rib. A wire of mesh may be positioned behind support arm 320 andover flange 324 in order to hold mesh against the roof. Similarly, awire of mesh may be positioned behind rib support arm 322 and overflange 328 in order to hold mesh against the rib.

In an alternate embodiment, a perspective view of a support member ofthe mine roof and rib support device is shown in FIG. 4. This embodimentis similar to FIG. 3 except that the structure of the roof support armand rib support arm have been inverted (i.e., the longitudinal flanges410 and 414 project away from the mine roof or rib). Mine roof and ribsupport device 400 includes a support member 402 having a roof supportarm 420 and a rib support arm 422, wherein the roof support arm 420 isprovided at an angle 426 to the rib support arm 422. The angle 426between the roof and rib support arms 420, 422 can generally be about 90degrees. However, the angle 426 can vary as needed, or desired asdescribed herein with regard to the support member. An aperture isdefined in support member for receiving a mine roof bolt, the aperturelocated away (e.g., preferably about 1 foot or so) from the junctionbetween, or an intersection of, the roof support arm 420 and the ribsupport arm 422.

Support member includes a base portion 304 having a front surface 306and a back surface 308. Integrally formed longitudinal flanges 310, 314extend from base portion 304, such as at an angle, and terminate atrespective edges 312, 316. Support member further includes areinforcement portion 318 extending from the base portion 304.Reinforcement portion 318 is illustrated as being positioned centrallyon the support member 302 with aperture defined therein and having ageneral U-shape, thereby forming a rib. The height of reinforcementportion 318 may be approximately equal to the height of longitudinalflanges 310, 314.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the longitudinal flanges 410, 414 andthe reinforcement portion project away from the mine roof or rib. Theback surface of the support member abuts against the mine roof or rib inthis embodiment. There are two (2) contact points between the supportmember and the mine roof or rib in this embodiment.

The mine roof and rib support device 400 may further include a bearingplate having a through-hole through which the roof bolt is installed.When the through-hole in the bearing plate is operatively aligned withthe aperture in the support member 402 for installation of the roof bolttherethrough, the bearing plate will apply force to the roof and ribsupport arms 420, 422, respectively, when force is applied to thebearing plate during installation of the roof bolt. The roof bolt isinstalled at a 45 degree angle and may be installed at different angles.When the mine roof bolt is tightened against the outer surface of thebearing plate, a compressive load is applied to the bearing plate. Thecompressive load is distributed throughout the bearing plate. Thecompressive load is transmitted from the bearing plate to the roofsupport arm 420 and the rib support arm 422, respectively, to compressthe support arms 420, 422 against the roof and of the mine tunnel. Thecompressive forces cause the roof support arm 420 to exert pressureagainst the mine roof and the rib support arm 422 to exert pressureagainst the mine rib.

The support member 402 may include flanges 424, 428 provided on one orboth of the ends of the respective roof support arm 420 and the ribsupport arm 422, wherein the flanges 424, 428 project toward the mineroof or rib. A wire of mesh may be positioned behind support arm 420 andover flange 424 in order to hold mesh against the roof. Similarly, awire of mesh may be positioned behind rib support arm 422 and overflange 428 in order to hold mesh against the rib.

In addition to the support members shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the supportmember can define a channel having an opened side and front side surfaceopposite the opened side, the opened side having an opened side surfaceand two legs extending from the opened side surface (e.g., C-shapedcross-section) to contact the mine roof surface and the mine ribsurface. Alternately, the support member can define a channel having anopened side and front side surface opposite the opened side, the openedside having an opened side surface and two legs extending from theopened side surface (e.g., C-shaped cross-section) and in which thefront side contacts the mine roof surface and the mine rib surface.

The support members useful in this disclosure may be formed byconventional methods known in the art. The elongated metal structuralsupport member will typically be bent at an angle of about 90 degrees.However, this depiction is not intended to limit the various possibleembodiments. The roof and rib support arms need not be bent from asingle length of material, and could instead be two separate pieces ofmaterial which are, e.g., welded together.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bearing plate 502 of the mine roof andrib support device 500 in accordance with an embodiment of thisdisclosure. The bearing plate 502 defines a through-hole 506, and ispositioned on the surface of the roof support arm 508. The bearing platethrough-hole 506 is operatively aligned with the roof support armaperture, and the mine roof bolt extends angularly through thethrough-hole and the roof support arm aperture to compress the bearingplate 502 against the support member. In a preferred embodiment, thebearing plate 502 is positioned on the surface of the roof support armaway (e.g., preferably about 1 foot or so) from the angled junction ofthe roof support arm 508 and the rib support arm 510.

The bearing plate 502 comprises a flat bearing plate having a raisedportion 504 in which the through-hole 506 is positioned on a surface ofthe raised portion 504 such that the mine roof bolt extends angularlythrough the through-hole 506.

In another embodiment, the roof support arm defines a second aperturefor angularly receiving a second mine roof bolt. Two bearing plates,each defining a through-hole, are positioned on the surface of the roofsupport arm. The bearing plate through-holes are operatively alignedwith the roof support arm apertures. Each mine roof bolt extendsangularly through a through-hole and a roof support arm aperture tocompress the bearing plates against the support member. The step ofcompressing the bearing plate against the support member involvestorquing the mine roof bolt against the bearing plate.

A plurality of flanges can be positioned on the bearing plate. When thebearing plate is positioned on the surface of the roof support arm, theflanges extend to the roof support arm to prevent rotation of thebearing plate on the roof support arm.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a bearing plate of the mine roof and ribsupport device 600 in accordance with an embodiment of this disclosure.The bearing plate 602 defines a through-hole 606, and is positioned onthe surface of the roof support arm 608. The bearing plate through-hole606 is operatively aligned with the roof support arm aperture, and themine roof bolt extends angularly through the through-hole and the roofsupport arm aperture to compress the bearing plate 602 against thesupport member. In a preferred embodiment, the bearing plate 602 ispositioned on the surface of the roof support arm away (e.g., preferablyabout 1 foot or so) from the angled junction of the roof support arm 608and the rib support arm 610.

The bearing plate 602 comprises a flat bearing plate having a raisedportion 604 in which the through-hole 606 is positioned on a surface ofthe raised portion 604 such that the mine roof bolt extends angularlythrough the through-hole 606.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the longitudinal flanges and thereinforcement portion project toward and abut the mine roof or rib. Inthis embodiment, the bearing plate 602 abuts the back surface of theroof support arm 608.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a bearing plate 702 of the mine roof andrib support device 700 in accordance with an embodiment of thisdisclosure. The bearing plate 702 defines a through-hole 706, and ispositioned on the surface of the roof support arm 708. The bearing platethrough-hole 706 is operatively aligned with the roof support armaperture, and the mine roof bolt extends angularly through thethrough-hole and the roof support arm aperture to compress the bearingplate 702 against the support member. In a preferred embodiment, thebearing plate 702 is positioned on the surface of the roof support armaway (e.g., preferably about 1 foot or so) from the angled junction ofthe roof support arm 708 and the rib support arm 710.

The bearing plate 702 comprises a flat bearing plate having a raisedportion 704 in which the through-hole 706 is positioned on a surface ofthe raised portion 704 such that the mine roof bolt extends angularlythrough the through-hole 706.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the longitudinal flanges and thereinforcement portion project away from the mine roof or rib. The backsurface of the support member abuts against the mine roof or rib in thisembodiment. In this embodiment, the bearing plate 702 abuts thelongitudinal flanges and reinforcement portion.

In yet another embodiment as shown in FIG. 8, the bearing plate has anelongated rear portion having an angular orientation. The angularorientation is positioned to align with the support member.

Mine roof and rib support device 800 includes a support member having aroof support arm 812 and a rib support arm 810, wherein the roof supportarm 812 is provided at an angle to the rib support arm 810. The anglecan vary as needed, or desired, depending upon the angle between themine roof and the mine rib. An aperture is defined in support member forreceiving a mine roof bolt. The aperture is located so that the angularorientation of the elongated rear portion is aligned with the supportmember.

The embodiments of the support member of this disclosure can besufficiently flexible to compensate for variations in the angle of theroof and rib, and/or variations due to non-planar surfaces of the roofand/or rib.

The mine roof and rib support device 800 may further include a bearingplate 802 having a raised portion 804 and a through-hole in the raisedportion 804 through which the roof bolt 806 is installed. The bearingplate 802 can be positioned on top of the support member. In thisembodiment, the bearing plate 802 with the elongated portion 808 abutsthe back surface of the roof support arm 812. When the through-hole inthe bearing plate 802 is operatively aligned with the aperture in thesupport member for installation of the roof bolt 806 therethrough, thebearing plate 802 will apply force to the roof and rib support arms 812,810, respectively, when force is applied to the bearing plate 802 duringinstallation of the roof bolt 806. The roof bolt is installed at a 45degree angle and may be installed at different angles. When the mineroof bolt 806 is tightened against the outer surface of the bearingplate 802, a compressive load is applied to the bearing plate 802including the elongated portion. The compressive load is distributedthroughout the bearing plate 802 including the elongated portion. Thecompressive load is transmitted from the bearing plate 802 to the roofsupport arm 812 and the rib support arm 810, respectively, to compressthe support arms 812, 810 against the roof and rib of the mine tunnel.The compressive forces cause the roof support arm 812 to exert pressureagainst the mine roof, and the rib support arm 810 to exert pressureagainst the mine rib.

As used herein, the term “upwardly” refers to a direction with respectto a mine passageway which is oriented generally along the directionextending from the mine floor to the mine roof, the term “downwardly”refers to a direction with respect to a mine passageway which isoriented generally along the direction extending from the mine roof tothe mine floor, the term “outwardly” refers to an orientation generallyin transverse direction extending from the walls of the passageway tothe mine passageway central longitudinal axis, and the term “inwardly”refers to an orientation generally in transverse direction extendingfrom the central longitudinal axis of the mine passageway to the wallsof the passageway.

While we have shown and described several embodiments in accordance withour disclosure, it is to be clearly understood that the same may besusceptible to numerous changes apparent to one skilled in the art.Therefore, we do not wish to be limited to the details shown anddescribed but intend to show all changes and modifications that comewithin the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mine roof and rib support comprising: a supportmember comprising a roof support arm and a rib support arm, the roofsupport arm provided at an angle to the rib support arm, wherein theroof support arm defines an aperture for receiving a mine roof bolt; abearing plate defining a through-hole, the bearing plate beingpositioned on the surface of the roof support arm, wherein the bearingplate through-hole is operatively aligned with the roof support armaperture; and a mine roof bolt extending angularly through thethrough-hole of the bearing plate and the roof support arm aperture, themine roof bolt being configured to compress the bearing plate againstthe support member.
 2. The mine roof and rib support of claim 1 whereinthe bearing plate is positioned on the surface of the roof support armaway from the angled junction of the roof support arm and the ribsupport arm.
 3. The mine roof and rib support of claim 1 wherein thesupport member comprises a base portion, an elongated reinforcementportion extending from the base portion, and longitudinal edge portionsextending angularly away from the base portion and terminating in edges.4. The mine roof and rib support of claim 3 wherein the elongatedreinforcement portion is positioned centrally on the support member. 5.The mine roof and rib support of claim 4 wherein the elongatedreinforcement portion has a height approximately equal to the height ofthe longitudinal edge portions.
 6. The mine roof and rib support ofclaim 3 wherein the support member has a general “W” shape.
 7. The mineroof and rib support of claim 3 wherein the elongated reinforcementportion has a general “U” shape.
 8. The mine roof and rib support ofclaim 3 wherein the aperture is defined in the elongated reinforcementportion.
 9. The mine roof and rib support of claim 1 wherein the supportmember has an opened side and front side surface opposite the openedside, the opened side having an opened side surface and the longitudinaledge portions extending angularly away from the opened side surface tocontact the mine roof surface and the mine rib surface.
 10. The mineroof and rib support of claim 1 wherein the support member has an openedside and front side surface opposite the opened side, the opened sidehaving an opened side surface and the longitudinal edge portionsextending angularly away from the opened side surface, the front sidesurface opposite the opened side contacting the mine roof surface andthe mine rib surface.
 11. The mine roof and rib support of claim 1wherein the bearing plate comprises a flat bearing plate having a raisedportion in which the through-hole is positioned on a surface of theraised portion such that the mine roof bolt extends angularly throughthe through-hole.
 12. The mine roof and rib support of claim 1 whereinthe bearing plate comprises a flat bearing plate having a raised portionsurrounding the through-hole, wherein the through-hole is positioned ona surface of the raised portion such that the mine roof bolt extendsangularly through the through-hole.
 13. The mine roof and rib support ofclaim 1 wherein the roof support arm defines a second aperture forangularly receiving a second mine roof bolt.
 14. The mine roof and ribsupport of claim 13 further comprising two bearing plates, each defininga through-hole, the bearing plates being positioned on the surface ofthe roof support arm, wherein the bearing plate through-holes areoperatively aligned with the roof support arm apertures, and each mineroof bolt extends angularly through a through-hole and a roof supportarm aperture to compress the bearing plates against the support member.15. The mine roof and rib support of claim 1 wherein compressing thebearing plate against the support member comprises torquing the mineroof bolt against the bearing plate.
 16. The mine roof and rib supportof claim 1 further comprising a cable interconnecting with other mineroof and rib supports.
 17. The mine roof and rib support of claim 1further comprising a plurality of flanges positioned on the bearingplate that, when the bearing plate is positioned on the surface of theroof support arm, extend to the roof support arm to prevent rotation ofthe bearing plate on the roof support arm.
 18. The mine roof and ribsupport of claim 1 wherein the bearing plate has an elongated rearportion having an angular orientation, wherein the angular orientationis positioned to align with the support member.
 19. The mine roof andrib support of claim 1 wherein said support member comprises a metalchannel having a C-shaped cross-section.
 20. A method of supporting anarched rock formation comprising: positioning a support member againstan arched rock formation, the support member comprising a roof supportarm and rib support arm, the roof support arm provided at an angle tothe rib support arm, the roof support arm defining an aperturetherethrough, wherein the roof support arm is positioned against a mineroof surface and the rib support arm is positioned against a mine ribsurface; positioning a bearing plate, defining a through-hole, on thesurface of the roof support arm, wherein the bearing plate through-holeis operatively aligned with the roof support arm aperture; extending amine roof bolt angularly through the bearing plate through-hole and thesupport member aperture into engagement with the arched rock formation;and compressing the bearing plate against the support member to maintainthe support member in contact with the arched rock formation.
 21. Themine roof and rib support of claim 20 wherein the bearing plate ispositioned on the surface of the roof support arm away from the angledjunction of the roof support arm and the rib support arm.
 22. A mineroof and rib support comprising: a support member comprising a roofsupport arm, a rib support arm, the roof support arm provided at anangle to the rib support arm, wherein the roof support arm defines anaperture for angularly receiving a mine roof bolt; wherein the supportmember comprises a base portion, an elongated reinforcement portionextending from the base portion, and longitudinal edge portionsextending angularly away from the base portion and terminating in edges.